


Night breaks through the day

by LittleLuxxie



Series: A song of Conquest and Fate [7]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 07:06:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30017970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLuxxie/pseuds/LittleLuxxie
Summary: Xander needs some advice, and the only one he can think of asking is Camilla.
Relationships: Camilla & Marx | Xander, Marx | Xander/My Unit | Kamui | Corrin
Series: A song of Conquest and Fate [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1040621
Kudos: 2





	Night breaks through the day

**Author's Note:**

> The draft for this (along with almost everything else in this series) has been sitting in my WIP-folder for years. Because I keep obsessing over whether it is good enough, or if I should just scrap the whole fic. But I have so many unfinished things for this pairing, and I don't want them to just sit on my computer and give me a bad conscience. So, I'm posting it. I wrote most of it today, and I'll probably go back and edit later. but for now, it is what is it.

Xander waited for Yumi, but like the three previous days, she did not appear. He didn’t have the heart to seek her out, but it hurt more than he could explain. Since she had cornered him training in the late night, months ago, they had practiced together and talked every night. Until now.

Unlike the previous nights though, he decided against practicing alone. He’d had a lot of time to go over that disastrous night in his mind since Yumi left his tent the morning after the storm. Something about it didn’t feel right, and he had a nagging feeling he was missing something. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about Yumi’s reaction didn’t seem right.

With a heavy sigh, he turned his steps towards the only person he could imagine voicing his concerns with. He needed to hear someone else’s input, even if he was very hesitant of showing himself this vulnerable, even to his sister.

There was a light flickering from Camilla’s tent, and when he knocked on the pole by the tent opening a low; “Come in” was said.

To Xander’s immense gratitude none of his other siblings were there, only Beruka and Selena were keeping Camilla company.

“I hope I am not disturbing you,” he said, “I can come back if that is the case.”

“Don’t be silly, Xander,” Camilla said, sitting up straighter in her chair, “I always have time for my beloved siblings.”

“We were just leaving, my lord,” said Selena, with a bow. Beruka glared at him, but also bowed and left the tent without comment.

Camilla gestured to an unoccupied chair, “What can I do for you?”

Xander sat down and drew a deep breath, he didn’t know how to broach the subject. Now that he was here, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to. But then he thought about the lonely training nights and felt something needed to change.

“I need to ask for your advice.”

“Oh,” Camilla cooed, “This is a rare occasion.”

“What do you mean? I ask for your opinions often.”

“Dear,” she said, a teasing smile on her lips but sounding rather serious, “you ask for input and thoughts, rarely advice. There’s a difference.” She waved a hand to stave off his protest, “Don’t mind my teasing, what kind of advice can I give you, brother dear?”

“Oh, well,” he swallowed, “It is a hypothetical inquiry, about… about a… um… personal matter.” He managed to make it sound more like a question than a statement and cursed himself when he saw Camilla raise her eyebrows.

“Hypothetical?” she asked, looking like a mixture of amused and annoyed.

“Hypothetical.”

“Naturally,” she smiled and gestured for him to continue, “go on.”

“All right.” Xander shifted in his seat, “Say there was this girl that you had a… special interest in-”

“My, oh, my, have someone charmed the stoic Prince Xander out of his celibacy?”

He glared, “I am not celibate, Camilla.”

She raised her eyebrows as her only answer.

“I simply have a lot on my plate, and precious little time…”

“Call it what you will dear.”

“Might I remind you this is all hypotheticals?”

“Naturally,” Camilla giggled, “And who is this, hypothetical, special girl, pray tell?”

Xander sighed and rubbed his temples, he was very much considering giving this up, “Camilla, please.”

She changed her tone at once, “I’m sorry, dear brother, I will behave.”

“Thank you.” Xander sighed again, and tried to straighten out his thoughts, “All right. This girl. Say you had been convinced for years that your affections were misguided and unwanted.”

“Years?” she said under her breath, searching his face intently. He ignored her.

“But now you’ve started to wonder if maybe you were wrong in that assumption. That maybe you were just so blinded by your own preconceptions that you might have missed something that was right in front of you. How would one even tell if the feelings are reciprocated and that you are not just fooling yourself?”

“Have you talked with her about it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Xander leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms, “If I thought that an option, I would not be here right now.”

Camilla smiled like she had won something, “Fine, fine. Why have you started to question your previous conviction? Something must have changed?”

“There was an incident, where we came close to…” his voice trailed off and he looked at her for confirmation that she understood, but she was heartless and looked only curious and confused, “close to kissing. I think,” he pressed out, “But we were interrupted, and after that, I think she has been avoiding me.”

“She didn’t say anything?”

“Well, as ashamed as I am to admit it, I panicked at the time,” he avoided looking at Camilla now, “She tried to speak, but I did not listen. I was certain I had overstepped and made her uncomfortable and disturbed, I tried to apologize…” he trailed off, and Camilla thankfully waited for him to continue. “But if I was mistaken in my assumption, my rushed apologies and comments might have been hurtful.”

“I see.”

“It also got me thinking, there have been many situations in the past months that have left me confused. If it were anyone else, it might’ve been considered flirting… But I never thought she would…”

“Why not?” Camilla asked, almost too eagerly.

“Because we are-…” Xander stopped himself just in time, “Because, it would not be proper…” He could see the gear turning behind her eyes as she tried to fill in the blanks. “It would not be looked in kindly, I think,” he finished, lamely.

“Uh-huh,” Camilla nodded, straightened herself up with a glint in her eyes before she continued, “Is there something she’s said or done that has given you the impression that your advances would be unwanted?”

Xander took a pause to really think about it, going over their every interaction over the last year, “… Not that I can think of on the top of my head, no.”

“How much do like this special one?”

“I love her more than anything,” he said without hesitation.

Camilla positively grinned now. “Then the answer is clear to me.”

“Oh?” He leaned forth; hopeful she would come with some revelation he hadn’t thought about.

“You need to talk to her about this.”

The air left him, and he asked in a small voice, “Really?”

“I can’t give you the answer to her feelings, unfortunately,” she smiled sympathetically, “That said, don’t pay attention to what people will or won’t say, what you think is what matters. And whatever happens, know that we siblings will always be here for you.”

“Thank you.” He tried to smile, but the pit in his stomach made it hard. He knew he needed to talk to Yumi about it, but he really didn’t want to. It was silly to think Camilla would know some magical solution to this.

“All I want is for you to be happy, you know this brother dear.”

He let out a humorless chuckle, “It’s a hard world to be happy in.”

“Then we should hold on to whatever little bit of happiness we find.”

“True.” He leaned back in the chair again, sighing and studying the tent ceiling. Camilla was right, as she usually was when it came to relationships between people. But taking her advice… “This is one of the more frightening things I’ve done in a long time,” he confessed to the ceiling.

“You did not choose an easy way to walk,” Camilla said, “But I believe it will be worth it.”

He looked over and saw that she had picked up her embroidery. While following the line of small, precise stitches she made, he said, “If I had a choice, I would’ve walked a different path.”

Her hands stilled, “Do not say such things.” She bored her eyes into his, “If you hurt her, I will be very cross with you, big brother.”

Xander swallowed, “I would deserve worse if I did.”

“Good that we agree,” she said, with a dangerous smile that he never thought he’d be on the receiving end of, “I would suggest you talk with her soon.” Camilla returned her attention to the embroidery, “She has been miserable since that storm a few days ago. I haven’t been able to get her to tell me what happened, but I think I have all the pieces now.”

“You…?” Xander felt like he couldn’t breathe, “What? How do you know-?”

“Xander, the only thing you haven’t said is her name,” she said airily, “who else could you possibly mean?”

“Gods, this is humiliating…” Xander hid his face in his hands, waiting for her to say something more. But the minutes passed and all he could hear was the clatter from the camp and the slight rustling of fabric from Camilla. Eventually, he looked up, “You don’t mind?”

Camilla smiled, “I admit I am a bit surprised, to me we have only ever been siblings. But no, I don’t mind at all. Two of my favorite people falling in love, what could make me happier?”

“So, you… You honestly believe there is a chance?”

“Xander, I do not know. As I said, she won’t talk to me about it,” she looked up at him again, “But I know she is sweet and gentle, she would never be cruel. Only good things can come from talking about this. Wouldn’t you rather clear the air between you?”

Xander sighed and nodded, that was what he had figured too.

“You have my full support, and I’ll always be here for you. Both of you.”

“Thank you, Camilla,” he got to his feet, “What would I do without you?”

She only smiled and waved at him, “Good luck, brother dear.”

The sun had already set when he exited the tent. At first, he considered waiting until the next day, and not disturb Yumi this late in the day. But halfway back to his tent he decided he could not wait. He could not give himself the chance to come up with more excuses. So, before he could change his mind, he stopped a passing messenger and asked him to find Lady Yumi and ask her to come to his tent. The messenger nodded and left in the opposite direction of his tent.

With his heart beating a mile a minute, he walked the last bit back to his own tent. Now the only thing he could do was wait.


End file.
